The Newly-Acquired Chip on His Shoulder

Mike D'Antoni's tenure with the New York Knicks isn't anything to write home about.

This last season was just brutal for him.

At 8-15, D'Antoni's demise was pushed back by the arrival of Jeremy Lin. Before Lin started playing out of his mind, D'Antoni looked dejected on the bench.

He almost looked pathetic. It was a sad sight.

He had that "please-fire-me-I-won't-be-able-to-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-if-I-quit" look in his eyes night in and night out.

There's no doubt he's unhappy with how his Knicks' career ended, but that should prove to be motivation for wherever he goes next.

If he winds up in Phoenix working for Lance Blanks, a talent evaluator extraordinaire who is a much less controlling GM than New York's head honcho, James Dolan, D'Antoni would be able to run the offense with the players he wants to.

He also wouldn't have to pacify any superstars, as Steve Nash is the lead by example floor general of the team.

They'll Sell More Tickets

According to Forbes, the Phoenix Suns are the 10th-most valuable franchise in the NBA.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the franchise's worth decreased four percent from last season.

While they are in a lot better shape than many other teams, a decrease in worth is never a good thing.

Bringing D'Antoni back would put more butts in the seats in Phoenix.

Of course, the GM and coach of a team will tell you that winning is the only thing that matters to them, but when you ask the owner, they might tell you different.

The NBA is a business no matter how you look at it. Teams are multi-million dollar corporations that either take in or lose oodles of money each year.

D'Antoni would not only be a good head coaching option when it comes to winning basketball games, but also when it comes to raking in the dough, as fans would hope for a revival of the powerhouse Suns from the mid-2000s.

He's a Class Act

OK, he's a nice guy, so what? That and $2 will get you on the subway nowadays.

But seriously, as bad as the Knicks look at times, and as bad as D'Antoni looked sitting down for three-quarters of every game, he really does put his heart and soul into coaching.

Well, coaching offense at least.

Former Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donny Walsh said this about D'Antoni when he was hired in 2008:

"As an executive, you couldn’t be working with a better guy and a better coach than Mike, in trying to do this with,” says Knicks President, Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh. “(His) ability to keep his eye on where we’re going, I appreciate that a lot. Coaches have a tendency to make it more difficult sometimes, because they’re under such pressure. He seems to handle that really well. I love working with him, personally. He’s so positive in his style, he’s so well-thought out. He just shows confidence, and the players like playing for him."

Well, some of those things might not be the case anymore (the players like playing for him, handles pressure well), but when you hear that from a guy who has been around the NBA since 1979, it means something.